Emerging Global

After Condé Nast unified the American and British versions of Condé Nast Traveler in August, the company has been making some big changes.

On Tuesday, November 27th, the publishing house announced the official merge of Condé Nast and Condé Nast International. With Condé Nast set in New York and Condé Nast International set in London, the company has decided it is time to see its full potential and become more global. Doing this, Condé Nast will be breaking down international barriers and sharing more advertisers and resources among one another.

With Condé Nast being one of the biggest publishing houses in the world, known for magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Allure, and more, this news has rattled the industry as being one of the biggest global moves in the past decade.

Following the news, it was announced that the current chief executive of the American business, Bob Sauerberg, will be stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Sauerberg has spent 18 years with the publishing house; 8 of those years as president and chief executive. During his time, Sauerberg launched the video division of Condé Nast Entertainment and a multi-year plan to develop new ways of bringing in revenue and cutting back on costs.

Bob Sauerberg

Jonathan Newhouse, the current chief executive of Condé Nast International,will also be stepping down. However, instead of leaving the company as a whole,Newhouse will be taking on the role of Condé Nast’s board of directorschairman, the same role that Samuel”Si” Newhouse, Jonathan’s cousin, held for 40 years beforepassing in 2017.

Jonathan Newhouse

With both chief executives stepping down you might be wondering, who isgoing to run Condé Nast? The answer is…well…they aren’t sure yet. CondéNast has been searching for the new CEO of the company, also now known as theglobal chief executive, but no names have been released. The company would liketo find someone with “global experience”. Until they are able to findthe perfect fit, Bob Sauerberg will continue his role as chief executive.

As of right now, Condé Nast has not chosen to make anymore drastic changesto the company. All other senior executives such as Wolfgang Blau (the currentCondé Nast International president) will remain in their current roles.

However, one can not help but wonder if a global Vogue or Glamour is in the
near future. With Condé Nast being one of the first to globalize their company,
this kind of change doesn’t seem far off. “Operating as one global company
will only help us realize our ambition to deliver the highest quality
journalism, experiences and values to our audiences, advertisers and
partners,” said the Newhouse’s (Jonathan and Steven (Si’s nephew)). With
that kind of mindset, I think Condé Nast’s transition might be a look into our
future and a more global fashion community as a whole.